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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

‘The Master' Shooting Exclusively In 65mm?

We recently received an unconfirmed tip from a source close to production who told us "The Master" isn't utilizing a mix of 65mm and 35mm as previously suspected but instead is shooting exclusively in 65mm. We realize you may need a minute to compose yourselves as we did when we first heard the news but HOLY SHIT. If this report turns out to be true then we're all in for one stunning looking film. Additionally, The South Wing tumblr posted the above image which apparently is the camera Stanley Kubrick used on "2001: A Space Odyssey" which you already know is the same camera currently being used by Paul Thomas Anderson on "The Master." You can read a bit more about the 65mm format at Wikipedia.

Update: Since posting this article only a short while ago, another source close to the production has assured us that it's a split format shoot (both 35mm and 65mm). Whichever turns out to be true, we're sure it'll still be a beautiful looking film. Carry on.

If you follow us on Twitter you already know that fansite Just Joaquin posted this short reader report from a neighbor to one of the houses being used for filming. We've left all the hilarious misspellings in tact.

Steve wrote: Just thought you'd like to ( in case you didn't already), that I saw Joaquin Phoenix in Crockett, Calif last Thursday ( Live there). They were filming a movie in the house a couple doors away from mine, but were keeping the whole thing hush hush. At 8am on Thursday morning as I was sitting on my front porch steps, he walked right by me on his way to a waiting car and said "hows it going?". Not recognizing him at first, I casually nodded back to him. He was wearing some those blue pants the people in the Navy wear and smoking a cigarette. Later that day I saw him again, this time in a different outfit ( 1940's) as they were filming him in a scene on the porch of the house they were filming. Thats when I finally figured out who it was. Seemore Philip Hoffman was also doing scenes there. I think the directors name is Anderson or something like that.

Anyway, on Friday they were kind enough to let a few of the locals watch them film the exterior shots. It was pretty cool. They worked until late Friday night and then took off to Mare Island in Vallejo ( just a few miles from the town of Crockett) where they're going to film the shipyard scenes.

Took a bunch of photos with my cell phone, but unfortunately I didn't have a zoom. If you look really carefully you can see Joaquin on the porch of the house.

You don't know your cameras. That basic camera was introduced in the early 1960's in both a pellicle and spinning mirror reflex version. It's been updated over the years with various features including an electronic drive motor. What you see there is the spinning mirror version. Perhaps there was an update in the early 90's but the basic camera has been around for over 45 years.

BTW, this camera was the first to use the name Panaflex, years before the 35mm Panaflex came out around 1972. Here is a photo of the pellicle version of the camera as it appeared in a mid 1980's Panavision brochure. (This is some years before the new System 65 camera came out.) Being the pellicle version where a partial mirror sends some light to the viewfinder it doesn't have the spinning mirror shutter housing of the other version so it looks a little different but it's the same camera. As I recall both came out at the same time in the early 60's. (See articles in A.C. Magazine.)